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The Tennessee State Fairgrounds Sports Arena was originally built with the purpose of housing weekly professional wrestling events, operated throughout the 1960’s and ’70’s by promoter, Nick Gulas. A mainstay in the building on Saturday nights throughout the ’80’s and ’90’s, wrestling will return to the venue on opening night of the 2013 Tennessee State Fair, as Traditional Championship Wrestling bring’s exactly that….the TRADITION of live pro wrestling, back to the facility.

“TCW was a vision of mine for years,” said TCW Owner, Matt Riviera. “I’m a fan of old-school wrestling and wanted to create a promotion that not only brought that feel back, but carried a name that represented that. I’m not a fan of false advertisement, and with the name “traditional,” we try our best to bring fans wrestling, not sports entertainment,” he continued.

Riviera was studying Broadcast Journalism at Harding University in Searcy, AR, when he began contemplating a career in professional wrestling. At the same time, he became a fan of VH-1 dating shows, and felt that he might be able to land a spot on one. Following graduation, Riviera found himself starring on “Megan Wants a Millionaire,” a program where eligible bachelors, who in fact are millionaires, competed for the affection of one lovely lady…Megan. More recently, Riviera, who on a daily basis runs a family business which in fact propelled him into an economic standing worthy of Megan’s interest, also appeared on the Bravo series Millionaire. He says both reality television experiences helped prepare him for his role with Traditional Championship Wrestling

“They’re very similar in that what a lot of people think is planned is not, and what a lot of people view as real is totally planned. It blurs reality. The bottom line is they both are about entertaining people,” he said.

Based in Arkansas, TCW Wrestling has, in a relatively short amount of time, grown its television network, and gained the respect of many within the wrestling industry. The weekly TCW television program airs in over 40 markets throughout the United States, including on TUFF TV, Saturday mornings at 10:30 Central, with affiliates WRTN in Nashville and WOOT in Chattanooga. The company also recently signed an agreement for overseas distribution, and on Friday, September 6th, they will tape the program live at the 2013 Tennessee State Fair. Riviera is very excited about the appearance.

“We feel we’re making a huge statement by coming to Nashville. It will be an accomplishment running a show in a venue that I used to see wrestling from as a child,” the promoter commented.

Between now and September 6th, TCW can be viewed online at the official website, www.TCWWrestling.com, on YouTube every Monday night at 10 PM Central. A weekly radio program featuring Riviera can also be found on the website, every Tuesday at 8 PM Central. Announcements regarding on-sale dates for tickets to TCWWrestling, as well as wrestling superstars that will be appearing at the 2013 Tennessee State Fair, will appear right here on www.TNStateFair.org throughout the next few weeks.